‘Stop trying to fix families we can’t fix’ – Barnardo’s head

‘Stop trying to fix families we can’t fix': Barnardo’s head’s ‘heretic’ call for bad parents to lose their children

The children of bad parents should be taken away as babies and offered for adoption, the head of a leading charity said yesterday. Barnardo’s chief Martin Narey said it is impossible to fix some families that are ‘broken’. He acknowledged that many in the social work establishment will see his views as ‘illiberal heresy’.

200,000 elderly will lose their home care: Weak and vulnerable pay price of bank bailout

More than 200,000 frail elderly people will lose meals on wheels and other care at home in a savage round of cutbacks.Only the most seriously sick and disabled will retain the right to free meals and help with washing, cleaning and shopping by next year.

Prison reform campaigners have accused the government of breaking its promise to overhaul restraint policies in young offender institutions, after it emerged that use of the controversial techniques has increased by 25% over the last year.

Figures released after a freedom of information request show that restraint was used in young offender institutions 4,274 times between April 2008 and March 2009, compared with 3,409 times between April 2007 and March 2008.

Health and overseas aid budgets will not be spared from a programme of public spending cuts that will be rolled out by ministers over the next two months, the Guardian has learned.

Gordon Brown and the chancellor, Alistair Darling, agreed the outlines of the new strategy through two lengthy discussions this summer – and it will be billed as a return to New Labour’s original commitment to public service reform.